WOW! Home Staging is all the buzz right now, TV shows, newspaper features and a zillion books to give you the scoop about how is was created , who created it, and how the common man can execute it.  Staging is nothing new.  Ask any 20 year veteran Realtor, and they'll tell you they've been doing it forever. 

Truth be told, the history of home staging is inconsequential, but the history of how we look at our homes and more importantly - ourselves is monumental.

Home Staging is now realized as a technique in selling a home. What is not realized is that how we formally prepared our home for sale is not how we need to prepare it today.

Over the past 10 years there has been a huge flux in the way we see and value our homes, especially the way we decorate them.  In the past, decorating was highly individual, stylized and customized - assigned to those who had the means to hire an interior designer or had access to "to-the-trade" specialty sources to make their home a showcase.

Well fast forward to 2008, and because of manufacturing, computer technology, and cheap over-seas labor, everyone has the ability to make their home a showcase.  The secret "to-the-trade" treasure chest has been plundered, and all the booty is now conveniently available at Target.

And because of that availability, we are society of shoppers and self inflicted decorators.  Paint our walls burgundy, sure - It's a part of my French country style.  Accessorized our kitchen in a Tuscany theme, of-course doesn't everyone?  Make our Master bedroom an ode to light houses of Nantucket, why not - It's all out there for us lined up row after row...

Not so fast!  Retailers, advertisers and marketers tell us how to and which products we need. We are slaves to their styles.   These marketing companies stalked, scrutinized and itemized (go run a "tracker" software check on your computer system.)  Retailers let us know what products we need to buy depending on our income, zip code and spending habits. 

Companies have even gone as far to define styles for us to go with their branding such as "The Pottery Barn" look.  Just the other day as I read the Sunday newspaper, it was validated once again in feature titled "Do You Know Average Joe?" http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1063482,072008aacoverstory.article -  An entire article about how marketing and advertising companies dissect and categorize us.  Did you know that the majority of people residing in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago are "Beltway Boomers?"

So just like we buy and need - When it comes to selling our homes today, it's a complicated course.  From how potential buyers 1^st see your home (on-line,) to all the bells and whistles that are required for them to even consider stepping into your home - home selling today is not what it use to be.  

So when you're getting ready to sell the largest asset in your net worth, you need to heed what has occurred in the past 20 years, and understand that you need to prep polish and package your home with the same gusto as those marketing and advertising companies have packaged us.

How do we achieve this feat?   

• Educate yourself.  Scour the internet, read up, and visit a multitude of Builder's model homes.  Get yourself privy to what the latest trends in building, home amenities and decorating are.
• Zero in on your target market. Figure out if your age group, income level, decorating tastes and home amenities fit into the category of what your ideal buyer wants.  If you don't know where to start, enlist in a staging evaluation.  A home stager can give you a check list of all the things that need to be done to attract the right buyer.
• Remove your emotion from your home.  This is the worst saboteur of getting your home readied for the market.  Understand that your home is no longer your own, and you may need to remove collections, rent furnishings and make improvements that you may personally not find appealing.  It's not about you, it's about them and most likely your burgundy walls need to go as well as your grape collection in the kitchen.
• Be realistic and economically smart.  Know you need to spend some cash - The average home staging costs around 1% of the asking price.
• Hire some pros.  Don't dance around this key factor.  Don't think your can do it all yourself, the road these days is rocky.   Realtors can market your home in ways you never can, home stagers have the inside scoop on trends and are savvy in what your ideal buyer desires, and home improvement companies can make those needed updates a reality.
• Make your home turn-key. Understand that just like you, the buyers of your home have the same lifestyle -BUSY!  By packaging your home as move-in ready, you'll create desire and your get your asking price.   

The result to properly staging your home in 2008 is the understanding of who the ideal buyer for our house is, and what amenities they'll find suitable for their wants and needs.   

The goal is that talented staging showcases the assets of your home, creates an emotional tread to the prospective buyer, and executes updates and enhancements that are perfectly in-tuned and desired by the ideal buyer group.

        And you just never know - you might be able to keep one burgundy wall!

Julea Joseph is a Chicago based decorator that specializes in giving homeowners expert insight on how to refresh & style their space - whether prepping their home to go on the market, just settling in, or needing to changing around...